Promote Culture of Safety at UW

The No. 1 resource at the University of Wyoming, a premier teaching and
research institution, is its people. Protecting that resource through a
positive safety culture should be the goal of everyone associated with the
university.

A positive
safety culture emphasizes safety over competing goals as core values and
behaviors by leaders and individuals as a collective commitment, thereby
ensuring protection of people and the environment. At UW, this means safety
needs to be valued and acted upon at all levels of our organization
(administrators, faculty, supervisors, individual employees and students), with
each of us taking the initiative to use proper precautions.

Universities have a
variety of work environments, including offices, laboratories, shops and
outdoor field locations. No matter where we work, study
or conduct research, putting safety first is essential

With significant
media attention on workplace safety in Wyoming, it is worthwhile to note UW's commitment
to the issue, and remind the university community that a positive safety
culture depends upon everyone.

In November 2011,
the UW Board of Trustees updated Section L (Safety) of UW Regulation 4-2, Employment
Provisions Applicable to All Personnel. This section emphasizes that safety is
the responsibility of every employee and that "each employee shall conduct
their activities in compliance with applicable governmental, university and
campus unit safety and health policies, procedures and regulations. This
includes abiding by safety rules, participating in safety training as required
and reporting hazards and potential violations."

Any employee who
believes there is a safety problem in his or her work environment, or elsewhere
at the university, is obligated to bring the problem to the attention of the
immediate supervisor, the Environmental Health and Safety Department, or the
Department of Risk Management and Insurance, as appropriate.

UniReg 4-2 also outlines
the primary responsibilities of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Risk
Management and Insurance (RMI), which were separated into two distinct
departments in 2008. The EHS director is charged with "the planning and
implementation of actions to meet the requirements of all applicable state and
federal environmental health and safety legislation, and all associated rules
and regulations." The director of RMI has primary responsibility for "the
University's insurance and for protecting the University from liability."

EHS offers a
variety of services that promote a positive safety culture and compliance with safety
and environmental regulations. These services include training, consultation,
job/project hazard assessment tools, hazardous and biological waste management,
audits and inspections. For more information, please contact EHS at 766-3277,
or go to the EHS website, www.uwyo.edu\ehs.

This commitment to
safety needs to permeate throughout the university. Each and every one of us must
be alert and make safe decisions in daily activities. These decisions can be as
simple as choosing to wear a seat belt; don proper footwear for ice conditions;
perform lab experiments using proper safety controls; or to correct or report a
hazard.

Safety comes
down to individual choices. As EHS director, I urge you to play an active role
in promoting a positive safety culture at the University of Wyoming.